Cannabis crusader and Olympian Ross Rebagliati says restrictions are choking the Canadian pot industry
CBC
Five years after the legalization of cannabis in Canada, Olympic gold medalist and cannabis entrepreneur Ross Rebagliati says government restrictions and stigma are hurting the growth of the industry in this country.
Rebagliati rode his snowboard to gold at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, in 1998 — the year snowboarding made its debut on the Olympic stage. Despite the fact cannabis was not on the International Olympic Committee's list of banned substances, he was stripped of his medal three days later when the drug was found in his system.
Rebagliati protested the decision to take away his medal, claiming the trace amounts of cannabis in his urine were most likely from second-hand marijuana smoke. Ultimately, his medal was returned because cannabis was not found to be performance-enhancing.
But, he said, that moment prompted him to pursue a career in cannabis.
"I actually had the idea when I was being held in the Nagano police station," he said in an interview with CBC News this week. "I am going to fight for this plant for the rest of my life, start a cannabis company and show everybody what cannabis is really all about."
And while he took on other jobs to fund his dreams, he kept at it, founding medical marijuana dispensary Ross' Gold in 2013.
And on Feb. 8, 2023 — 25 years to the day since he won gold in Nagano — Ross' Gold products started being sold in licensed dispensaries, a moment Rebagliati said gave him as much pride as his Olympic victory.
To mark the fifth anniversary of cannabis legalization in Canada, and to hear his perspective on how the industry is doing, CBC Radio West host Sarah Penton spoke to Rebagliati from his home in Penticton, B.C.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
LISTEN | Olympic gold medallist and cannabis entrepreneur Ross Rebagliati speaks about the pot business:
We're five years into legalization … How do you think we've done?
Well, it's been turbulent, to be honest about it. Personally, I'm ecstatic because we finally got to market with the Ross' Gold brand, and have products in the stores. So on a different level it was an amazing ride … but the industry is hurting right now.
People are having a hard time paying their employees and affording the taxes and the whole nine yards when it comes to starting a cannabis company and getting your brand out there. There's been a bunch of restrictions that are holding us back as far as marketing. And the tools that you need to get brand traction just aren't there.
OK. Tell me a little bit more about that. You mentioned taxes first off. What are the holdups there in your mind?
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